Great White Whale Exists! Ice Cream Donut Sandwich from Peter Pan

It’s something I’d heard rumors about for years, but never knew if it actually existed. Finally, this summer a hand drawn sign appeared in the window of Greenpoint’s own Peter Pan Donut Shop (727 Manhattan Ave.) – advertising the great white whale of summer desserts: the Ice Cream Donut Sandwich. It sounded like a joke. A donut of your choice cut in half and stuffed with a large scoop of Haagan Dazs ice cream. I can confirm that not only is it real, but it’s delicious.For the donut portion of the sandwich there was a wide array of some of the best donuts in the city to choose from. I assumed to stick to the non-filled donuts to avoid a complete disaster. For the ice cream part of the equation, Peter Pan has 4 different flavors available.

I went with two of my favorites; a toasted coconut donut filled with chocolate ice cream. The sandwich is served to-go in a styrofoam container which allowed me to get it home before digging into this guilty pleasure.

I have a bit of a sweet tooth but even I wasn’t sure whether this sugar bomb would be a good idea. Would it be just too over the top? I was concerned that the donut might get soggy from the melting ice cream. It turns out, I had no reason to worry. The ice cream settled right into all the nooks and crannies of the donut and the flavors melded together perfectly. Was it a bit messy? Yes. Over the top? Of course! Do I want another one? You bet!

The only real problem: when is the best time of day to eat this treat? I can’t really see eating it for breakfast, but what if all the donuts sell out for the day? I went on a weekday around 2pm and there were plenty. On the weekends you might have to settle for whatever is left.

The meaning of the phrase “ice cream” varies from one country to another. Phrases such as “frozen custard”, “frozen yogurt”, “sorbet”, “gelato” and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles. In some countries, such as the United States, the phrase “ice cream” applies only to a specific variety, and most governments regulate the commercial use of the various terms according to the relative quantities of the main ingredients.